| 2 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
As far as I can tell, there are basically three established natives to the ethereal plane (that's to say, creatures that are there and stay there): Phase spiders, xills, and hypnalises. Oh, and some ghosts, but they don't count.
Here's my problem. While all three creatures are described as being native "denizens" of the plane, xills are the only ones who actually belong there.
See, the other two creatures have a variation on the same ability: "Teleport into the ethereal plane for a short while at-will."
Why "a short while"?
Ethereal Jaunt (Su) A phase spider can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as a free action, and shift back again as a move action (or as part of a move action). The ability is otherwise identical to ethereal jaunt (CL 15th).
A hypnalis can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as a free action and shift back again as a move action (or part of a move action). The ability is otherwise identical to ethereal jaunt (CL 15th).
Ethereal Jaunt has a specific end time: It's one round per level.
What does this mean? Well, it means that hypnalises and phase spiders have to spent a move action every 1.5 minutes to renew their presence (or, by even stricter readings, to port back to the Material for a split-second, then into the Ethereal again). It also means that once they're dead, their corpses appear on the Material Plane. It means a phase spider can't easily keep any sort of "larder". Most importantly, it means that a phase spider or hypnalis has to sleep somewhere on the Material Plane, not the Ethereal. Which is a little odd, considering the phase spiders actually make nests on the Ethereal Plane.
Essentially, phase spiders and hypnalises are kind of invaders themselves (a special irony for the hypnalis): While they can come in on their own power, they cannot remain in the Ethereal Plane as "natural residents". They are natives of the Material Plane who at some point developed the ability to pull themselves into the Ethereal Plane for brief periods.
I put this in Rules Questions because I'm curious if others will see it as RAI, or mere RAW. Do you think this was intended? Is this how you would run it?
Oh, and just for reference, here's the text of the xills' ability:
Planewalk (Su) A xill can shift from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane as a move action. Shifting from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane takes 2 consecutive full-round actions, during which time the xill is immobile. As a xill fades away, it becomes harder to hit: opponents have a 20% miss chance in the first round and a 50% miss chance in the second. A xill can take a single willing or helpless creature with it when it switches planes.
Note that there's no talk about it being equivalent to a temporary spell.
I don't think there is meant to be a duration to the racial abilities, and that they are suppose to use their move-action as their free action and standard actions as their only way to move through between the planes.
edit: Now going through all my bestiaries for ethereal creatures.
Phase Spiders, .... they don't have the ethereal plane listed as their terrain and they don't even have the extraplanar subtype.... I think they were written wrong.
It's really hard to find any. There are a few third-party ones (including conversions, like the ethereal filcher), but very few "canon" creatures that stick to the Ethereal Plane.
Phase Spiders, .... they don't have the ethereal plane listed as their terrain and they don't even have the extraplanar subtype.... I think they were written wrong.
Xill, seem to work right.
Animate Dream, stays on the ethereal plane.
Belier Devil, barely ever on the ethereal plane.
Dragon Horse, since they lack the extraplanar subtype they must be native to the material.
Hounds of Tindalos, I think this is an error since there is no mention of the ethereal in it's entry.
Monadic Deva, not native just patrols.
Adherer, native to the material just warped by the ethereal.
Hypnalis, has the issue you mentioned.
Aether elementals, native to the ethereal and do not leave.
Sahkil, suffer from the same issue since their ability says ethereal jaunt.
Etheric Dragon, native to ethereal and does not leave.
Psychemental, I think this is an error
Thought Eater, native to the ethereal and it can move to the material but only for a short time and it's mechanics work.
Unfettered Phantom, native to ethereal (sorta) and doesn't jump planes.
Aether Wisp, native to the ethreal and don't leave.
As far as I know, phase spiders have never been native to the ethereal plane. As far back as 1st edition AD&D, they lived on the material plane but could shift to the ethereal to hunt.
And from their 3.5 D&D description:
Phase spiders dwell and hunt on the Material Plane. Once a spider locates prey, however, it shifts to the Ethereal Plane to attack, attempting to catch its victim flat-footed. The spider shifts in, bites its victim, and retreats quickly back to the Ethereal Plane.
So either Paizo decided to change them, making them from the ethereal plane (but forgetting to change their stats to reflect this), or the description given for them is wrong.
I'm inclined to think that the mistake is more likely to rest with something they forgot to change than a deliberate change. Thanks for sharing that, Jeraa.
Milo, thought eaters aren't Pathfinder "canon", and I can't find where hounds of Tindalos and psychementals are ever associated with the Ethereal Plane. Otherwise, good list.
Milo, thought eaters aren't Pathfinder "canon"
They are in bestiary 5, page 243.
and I can't find where hounds of Tindalos and psychementals are ever associated with the Ethereal Plane. Otherwise, good list.
In the appendix of the bestiaries it lists all the creatures of different enviornments. Hounds of Tindalos and Psychementals are both listed as being in the Ethereal Plane in those sections, despite the creatures actual entries having no indication of a link between the creatures and the ethereal.
Weird. Thought eaters aren't on the PFSRD yet. I've seen other Bestiary 5 monsters on there, so that's a bit confusing. Oh well.
I hadn't seen them on the "Monsters by Terrain" doohickey, but that's because I was going by this, so fair enough.
So creatures aren't extraplanar just because they're native to the ethereal plane. It seems that a lot of these creatures with the subtype shouldn't have it at all.
The Bestiary, like the D&D Monster Manuals, assumes that the creature is encountered on the material plane. As such, all monsters not native to the material plane already have the extraplanar subtype listed.